Fun Christmas Extras

I forgot to mention a couple of things in my Christmas post, which Will has reminded me of in the last couple of days. And I hope Susan doesn't mind that I stole a video from her blog :)

One fun thing that Susan did was make up little rhymes for each member of the family, then put them inside Christmas crackers. Will still gets a kick out of ours, so I thought I'd share.

Will:
There once was a young boy named Will
And one day he couldn't sit still
He leapt off the ground
And flew all around
And landed 'kersplat' on a hill.

Kayla: (I thought this one was clever. Not easy to rhyme with Kayla)
There once was a little girl Kayla
Whom Alice invited to play-la
They put on their dresses
And danced as princesses
Until the sun set on the day-la

Kristin*
I once had an in-law named Kristin
I asked her to to work in my kitchen
She chopped and she peeled
The veggies did yield
Nourishment forged by persistin'

Bill:
There once was a daddy named Bill
He had an unusual skill
He'd take out some light
And bend it just right
Using lasers to pay all the bills

*This has become somewhat of an inside joke. We go over to their house at least once a week for a play date. And while the kids play I help Susan make dinner. It seems like every time I help I'm in charge of chopping the vegetables.

Will and Alice like dancing together occasionally. I don't remember who it was, but someone taught them the proper way to dance. Maybe Will has a future in ballroom dancing?

Christmas 2011

*Warning* Picture overload

We had a fabulous Christmas this year full of fun activities and lots of time with family. Bill's parents were here for about a week, then Bill's younger brother and his wife came for a couple of days. We unfortunately didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some of the highlights.

The annual decorating of the Christmas tree



Will helping me make cookies


Gingerbread houses with Bobby and Susan

Our family went with the traditional looking house


Bobby and Susan's family decided to make a stage, complete with a chorus line in the background. Knowing their daughter Alice, a stage makes perfect sense.

Acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve

Shepherds (Alice and Will) and sheep (Kayla)


Shepherds coming to see baby Jesus, Mary (Grandma Evans) and Joseph (Robert/Susan)


Wise Men (Alice, Will and Kayla) talking with King Herod (Bobby). Bobby's face in this picture was perfect.


Wise Men bringing gifts to Jesus

Christmas Morning

Candy Cane Coffee Cake - Before

After

Waiting patiently for breakfast

Opening Presents




Uncle Jonny and Aunt Brooke



Brooke and Jonny came for a brief visit, but definitely made the most of it and quickly became very popular with all the kids. We went to the toy room near our apartment, and they spent the majority of the time spinning, flying, and tackling our kids.

Alice and Kayla burying Uncle Jonny


Will and Alice wanted to be just like Aunt Brooke and Uncle Jonny (see previous picture).

Other highlights not pictured:

-Christmas Eve dinner. Susan decided to do a "shepherd's feast." We had lentil soup, artisan bread, cantaloupe, and other yummy things.
-Christmas Day dinner. We were the hosts this time, and had ham, mashed potatoes, salad, bread, and homemade peppermint ice cream.
-Bowling. So much fun! The first round was adults versus kids. I think Will beat almost everyone. I didn't do so hot that round, but definitely made up for it the second round, which was boys versus girls.
-Spending almost a whole day with Jonny and Brooke. They were at our house for almost a whole afternoon and evening, and we had so much fun chatting, playing games, eating pizza, and they even made us some butterbeer (think Harry Potter).

Hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as we did!